Scare It Up
by jrwilson
Summary: Set seven years in the future. Rocky, Cece, Deuce, Gunther and Flynn reunite. They take a weekend trip out to a cabin in the woods. Gunther/Cece and Rocky/Deuce
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Reunions**

Cece stretched languidly, her right leg moving along the length of the bar, and her left arm arcing behind her. She just about reached the limits of her tired muscles.

"You shouldn't be here so early," a voice interrupted her.

She swung around losing that moment of grace.

"Perfection demands infinite practice," Cece responded as she turned. "My god, Rocky is that you? It's been years and years." She threw herself into the arms of best friend. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in California?"

"Summer break. I have three whole months off. I meant to call you to tell you I was coming home this summer, but finals were harder than I expected, and I got distracted."

"I still can't believe you abandoned dancing for college. You were good. Not as good as I am - of course. But, you had a real future. I hate that we're not partners anymore."

"Oh Cece, we've had this discussion so many times."

"I know. Hey, did you just get in today?"

"No I've been back for a few days. I saw your show last night - you were fantastic. I didn't expect you to be at the studio today, I thought you would have partied all last night. I thought you'd be in bed till at least noon. Wasn't there a cast party?"

"I didn't go," Cece said with a sigh. "I was stupid enough to start dating the director, and he broke it off with me a few weeks ago. It was a disaster. I didn't want to see him, I just wanted to go home and cry it out."

"Oh Cece, you never were lucky in love."

"Luckier than you," Cece taunted.

"Hey! I've had lots of great boyfriends. Boys like me. Everyone likes me."

Cece smirked. "I've missed you. Let's go get something to eat at Crusty's. You wouldn't believe it, but Deuce still works there. At least I'm not the only one who didn't go to college."

"Do you want to change first?"

Cece looked down at the white unitard and silver tights. "Nope. I look amazing."

The two girls entwined arms, and walked together the short distance to their favorite Pizza Joint. It was as if no time at all had passed, and they easily fell back into familiar discussions and gestures.

At Crusty's, Rocky spotted Deuce immediately behind the counter. She pranced up to him. "Hey, hey, hey," she called in greeting.

Deuce stared at her; a look of puzzled confusion was soon replaced with a smile. "Whoa! Rocky, you're all grown up. I like. Come over hear and give me a hug." She quickly threw her arms around her old friend. "And Cece too. It's my lucky day."

"Can you sit with us and chat?"

"Of course I can. I own this joint now. But first, I'll make a pizza, my very own specialty. I'll be at your table in ten minutes even." He kissed Rocky on the cheek. "Roy, cover me," he called into the kitchen.

Deuce carried over a large pizza with every conceivable topping covering half of its face - the other half was the same sans the meat - and placed it on the table.

"The vegi half is for Rocky," Deuce said.

"Thanks," Rocky said with a laugh. "I'm surprised you remember."

"Of course I remember." Deuce's voice went soft. "I remember everything."

"So," Cece started, "Rocky and I decided that since she has some time off between semesters and I'm between shows that we need to plan a great adventure. We're thinking a camping trip, but maybe with a cabin instead of tents. Are you in?"

"You girls never struck me as the woodsy types?"

"It's time to try new things. You're not afraid of the woods?" Cece taunted.

"I'm not afraid of anything. I'm in. We should invite Gunther along too. He came in a few days ago - asking about you Cece. I think he's on summer break too."

"Me!" Cece squeaked. "I haven't seen him in over a year. I figured he forgot all about me. He was dating this awful girl the last time I saw him, and we had a huge fight when I told him he should dump her. I thought he hated me."

"Guess not," Deuce said. "So what do you think? Invite?"

"Yes," Cece said.

"So that'll make four of us," Rocky said. "Perfect."

"Oh wait, Flynn. I can't go without him."

Rocky placed her hand on Cece. "Of course, he should come too. I always liked your little brother."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Thursday Morning**

Cece brushed her long loose auburn curls out with her fingers, and reapplied her lipstick. She pursed her lips.

"You look fine, Cece," Flynn reassured his older sister. Flynn and Cece had grown considerably closer as the years passed.

"Thanks kiddo. Sorry for dragging you on this trip. I just didn't want to leave you alone. I know you're fifteen now, and don't need me anymore, but..."

"Don't be silly. I'll always need you. Can you believe mum is still 'finding herself'?"

"Ugh."

Flynn stepped out of the car and pulled Cece's suitcase and his duffle bag out of the trunk. They were parked in Deuce's driveway, to the right of a large Winnebago.

Flynn raised an eyebrow. "Where did Deuce get that thing?"

Cece shrugged in response.

"Cece, Flynn," Deuce said as he emerged out of the small house. "Come in. You're the last ones here. Rocky and Gunther are inside. I set up a waffle bar. I figured we should eat up before the trip."

Flynn eyed the bags.

"Oh yeah," Deuce said. "Throw your bags into the Winnebago."

"It's huge. Where'd you get it?"

"I borrowed it from my cousin."

"The same one whose cabin were staying in?" Cece asked.

"Yep, the very same."

The first thing Cece noticed when she entered Deuce's house was Gunther. He was taller and broader than she remembered - his blond hair slicked back. He looked different, but sort of the same. He certainly had the same arrogant twist to his lips. He stood when she entered. "Hi Cece," he said softly. "Long time..." She wondered if she was imagining that his accent had blurred.

A part of her wanted to hug him, but a bigger part wanted to hit him. Why couldn't anything be simple? "Hi Gunther," she responded.

"Hey, hey, hey. Cece! Flynn! You're here finally." Rocky jumped up and hugged her best friend. "I am so excited, I'm totally on fire. We're going to have so much fun."

Rocky hugged Flynn next. "Damn, Flynn. You've grown up. You were just a little kid the last time I saw you."

Flynn bit his lip. "Thanks." Seeing Rocky again was so strange. Flynn had secretly been half in love with her pretty much up until Cece and Rocky graduated from high school. But, he knew that a six-year age gap was pretty much an impassable ocean.

Rocky felt Flynn's bicep and giggled. "You've been working out? How old are you now - like sixteen?"

"Almost," he answered. "I'm playing football, the - uh - muscles are an occupational hazard of the game."

"No kidding - football huh. I always thought you were more the academic type." She shrugged and walked back towards the food.

I'm that too, he thought to himself.

The five of them devoured every waffle before cleaning the kitchen and loading into the Winnebago.

"Have you ever driven one of these before? It looks hard," Rocky asked.

"I practiced a little yesterday. I'll be fine. Do you want to sit up front and help navigate?" He asked Rocky.

"Sure," she said. "How long of a drive is it?"

"In total about two and half hours. My cousin's cabin is about an hour west of Starved Rock State park."

"That's not a bad drive," Gunther said as he placed his guitar case with the other suitcases in the back. "Let me know if you want me to fill in if you get tired."

Gunther, Cece and Flynn climbed into the back. There was a pull down bed in the very back. "Do you guys mind if I crash?" Flynn asked. "I had a late night."

"Go for it," Cece and Gunther said in unison.

It didn't take long for Flynn to fall asleep, leaving Cece and Gunther effectively alone, since a solid panel separated them from Deuce and Rocky in the front seat.

"Is Tinka still dancing in Paris?" Cece asked, trying to break the ice.

"Yes. I visited a few months ago. She's quite the star."

Cece nodded, trying to rub the jealousy out of her voice. "I'm sorry about the last time I saw you. I should have been nicer to your girlfriend."

He laughed lightly. "I'm glad you were honest. It took me awhile to see her for who she really was. And once I did, I realized I didn't like her at all. By the time I realized you were just trying to be my friend, I felt too embarrassed to apologize."

Cece grinned. "Clean slate?" She asked.

"For sure."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **Thank you for reading and reviewing. A special shout out to NeverEndingTragedies, IluvF, shakeitup777, SolarianLovix, WeasleyQueenfan1988, and Criss Cross Applesauce.

**Chapter 3: A Rocky Start**

Rocky's nimble fingers - soon to be surgeon's fingers - set up the GPS with the address of the cabin. Deuce drove the Winnebago out of the driveway and through the urban expanse.

"Thank you for doing this, Deuce. I definitely couldn't have pulled this trip off without you."

"You know, I'd do anything for you, Rocky."

She smiled lightly, and let her head fall back onto the headrest. "I wish I really believed that."

"What do you mean? I said it. It's true."

"You said it because it's easy to say. You know I'm only here for the summer. You can say anything."

He frowned. "You're being very serious."

"I know. I'm thinking of serious things. Chicago Medical School accepted me for next year."

"You're kidding! I thought you loved California."

"I do. I just ..."

"You just what?"

"It's hard to explain. I'm lonely there. I mean I have friends, but they aren't like Cece and you. They're temporary friends - friends of convenience." She fought a frown. "I thought it would be harder to pick back up with you and Cece - I thought I'd have to fight for it, I thought you both would be angry that I left. I didn't expect it to be so easy. I think I wanted you guys to be angry or hurt or something. Does that make sense?"

Deuce swallowed. "I was hurt when you left. Hurt, but distracted. Everything was a mess with my uncle dying and with me having to take over the business. I just didn't have time to wallow."

"Don't play. I can't imagine you wallowing."

"Can't you?"

"What does that mean?"

"You knew I loved you, and you left anyway."

Rocky jumped in her seat, and then glared at him. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"The letter I gave you."

"What letter?"

His eyebrows narrowed in consternation. "Right after my uncles funeral - about a week before graduation. I slipped a letter into your bag, begging you to stay. You left anyway."

"I ... I didn't get it. It must have gotten lost. I really think I would have remembered. I ... I'm sorry."

"It was three years ago. I survived." A bitter note - so unlike Deuce - had entered his voice.

"But ..." Rocky had no idea how to take this piece of information. Did he still feel the same way? How could he after so much time had passed? What was she supposed to do?

"Deuce, I ..."

"Rocky, let's just drop it. It was a long time ago."

"But ..."

"I shouldn't have brought it up."

Rocky bit her lip, and turned her head away. She had no idea what to say. They were silent as the city morphed into countryside.

Rocky twitched awake as a Deuce pulled into a gas station. She must have been asleep for a while. They were definitely far from the city.

"I'm just gonna fill up the tank," Deuce said.

"I'll get out too. I need to stretch my legs," Rocky responded.

She pulled open the heavy door and leaped down to the hard dirt road below. They must be pretty far off the beaten track she decided, if the roads were no longer paved. She smoothed out her tank top and shorts and walked around the Winnebago to join Deuce.

"Um," Deuce said. "It doesn't look like there's a place to put in my credit card."

Rocky stared in confusion at the old fashioned pumping station. She had never seen one like it - it looked like it was straight out of a movie from the fifties. How strange.

"I guess I'll go inside and ask for some help," Deuce said.

"I'll come with you," she offered.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Creep**

Rocky twined her fingers with Deuces, her heart racing. It was a bold move. She wondered how he would react.

Deuce's eyebrows shot up in curiosity. He stared at her with eyes lidded by dark lashes. He shook his head in confusion, but didn't let go of her hand.

She let herself form a slow soft smile on her lips.

They walked together into the shack-like building that they hoped would host someone who could help them. A sign swung from a nail on the front door. - CLOSED-

Deuce shrugged and tried the knob. The door opened easily, and Rocky and Deuce slipped in. The place looked like it had just been robbed, with junk dumped all over the floor. Rocky tightened her grip on Deuces hand and they entered the room together.

"Hey, you kids! Didn't you see the damn sign! We're closed!" A voice shattered the silence.

Rocky swung around to face the figure, dropping Deuce's hand. The man's red-rimmed eyes bulged. A stained baseball bat hung from his left hand. He raised it up. Deuce and Rocky backed up deeper into the store.

"We didn't mean ..."

"Please just let us out ..."

The man's eyes turned to Rocky and he moved toward her. "You whore!"

A hand reached out from behind and grabbed the baseball bat out of the man's grasp, and slammed it against the man's skull.

"Flynn!" Rocky stepped over the man and hugged the boy. "Thank you."

"Oh god!" Cece gasped. She was standing with Gunther, behind Flynn.

Deuce leaned down and touched the man's neck. The man shot up into a sitting position and gripped Deuce's wrist. Deuce yanked himself out of the man's grasp and stepped backwards. "Let's get the hell out of here. Everyone back in the Winnebago - now," Deuce demanded.

All five of them ran back to the Winnebago and pulled the doors shut tight behind them.

"I guess we're not getting gas," Rocky commented.

Deuce laughed a tight laugh as he maneuvered the Winnebago out the gas station lot - the wheels squealing as they went.

Meanwhile, in the back of the Winnebago, Cece held tight to Flynn's arm. "I can't believe you did that."

"Me neither," Gunther added. "Impressive."

"I could have killed him." Flynn's breath was stuck in his throat. He felt like he would start hyperventilating at any moment. He hadn't even stopped to think before he grabbed that bat.

"But you didn't," Cece said, "and he would have deserved it - the psycho."

"Cece's right. You did the right thing, Flynn." Gunther play punched Flynn's arm. "I'd be proud if you were my kid brother. Hell, I'm proud of you now."

Cece smiled at Gunther. 'Thank you' she mouthed to him. She didn't want Flynn to feel bad, and there was something about a guy like Gunther giving him the okay that she knew she couldn't accomplish on her own. She looked at Gunther, who looked the picture-perfect Ivy Leaguer who had to be right - an image sullied only by a half-hidden pair of sparkly socks that exposed his adolescent stardom. And then she turned her gaze to her brother. Even though Flynn had found his place in athletic accomplishments, there were still flashes of the same vulnerable boy who missed his father. She tightened her hug around him.

"Cece, you can let go," Flynn said.

Her lips twitched. "If I have to."


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **My apologies for taking so long to update. Thank you everyone for reading. I put an original story that I wrote on Amazon called Anais of Brightshire - it should be free. I would be grateful to anyone who gives it a chance.

**Chapter 5: Cabin**

Deuce drove the Winnebago down a long winding dirt road. Dense foliage crept onto the road from each side. The Winnebago bumped hard with every turn. Rocky gasped with each bump and kept grabbing his arm. He smiled at her. "Less than a mile left."

"Thank god! I don't think my stomach can take this road much longer."

Finally, they pulled into an open circle that housed a small cabin built of thick logs. Deuce glanced at the GPS, which miraculously was still getting a signal. "This is it." He parked the Winnebago and they both slipped out.

Rocky pulled open the side doors, and saw that Flynn was asleep in the pull out bed and that Gunther and Cece were sleeping on the seat. Cece was curled up with her head buried on Gunther's lap. Rocky's eyebrows rose in curiosity. She and Deuce smiled at each other.

"I don't know how they slept through all of those bumps," Rocky said.

"A mystery."

Rocky gently pushed Cece's shoulder. Cece raised her arms in a yawn, and untangled her copper curls.

"We're he-ere," Rocky sang.

"Finally," Gunther said, wiping sleep from his eyes. He jumped out first, followed by Cece and Flynn. Gunther gazed at the cabin. "It's pretty small. Will we all fit?"

"It only has two bedrooms," Deuce answered. "We'll have to bunk up."

Cece grabbed Rocky's hand in her hand and grinned. "Girls in one room, boys in the other. First one there calls it. C'mon Rocky."

Laughing, the two girls ran full force towards the cabin, their hair flying in the air behind them. They easily beat the boys, and let themselves into the unlocked cabin. There was one room with two twin beds, with a private bathroom attached. The second room was larger with two sets of bunk beds, and a large awful mural of a battle scene on the wall. "Ugh. We are definitely taking the other room," Cece said as she gazed at the picture.

Rocky pulled her arm and they both ran back to the first bedroom and Cece flounced on the bed.

Rocky poked her head out of the door, and saw that the boys had carried in the luggage. "You guys are too sweet. Thanks for getting the bags."

"No problem," Deuce said. "Anybody hungry?" he asked.

"Starving," Cece shouted from the bedroom. Flynn and Gunther nodded in agreement.

"There's supposed to be a grill out back, and I brought hotdogs and hamburgers, they're in the fridge in the Winnebago. We should probably bring in all of the food while we're at it."

The five of them returned the Winnebago and carried in a weeks worth of food that had been packed into paper grocery bags.

After they got all of the food inside, Flynn, Rocky and Deuce put it away while Gunther and Cece brought all of the luggage into the respective bedrooms.

"You thought of everything," Rocky said as she and Flynn helped him get the last of the food into the refrigerator.

Deuce just grinned. "I wanted it to be a good week."

She smiled at him. "It will be."

"Hey, look what I found," Flynn said, pointing towards an old stereo that looked like it was a hundred years old. "Do you think it works?"

"I'll make it work," Deuce promised. "But first we eat. You want to help me figure out how to get the grill started?" He asked Flynn.

"Definitely. I'm so hungry I could eat a bear." Flynn rubbed his stomach in mock seriousness.

In the girl's bedroom, Rocky joined Cece and the two girl's put their clothes away into the two dressers.

"I noticed you and Gunther getting pretty cozy. I thought you didn't even like him," Rocky said.

Cece pursed her lips. "You're fishing."

Rocky sat down next to Cece on the bed. "Yup."

"I never told you about last summer. He came home with this girl. She was like a professional model. We hung out a few times, mostly because the guy I was seeing at the time was friends with Gunther. Anyway, I never thought I had feelings for Gunther. But his girlfriend - she was just such a bitch. She railroaded him at every turn - it made me so mad. I couldn't stop thinking about it - I couldn't help thinking that he deserved better. I confronted her about it and she accused me of being jealous, she said that the only reason I was butting into their relationship was because I liked him. At first, I thought she was nuts, but then ... I realized she might be right." Cece inhaled sharply. "But, by then it was too late. She told Gunther what I said, and he got really mad at me, and that was it. Goodbye Gunther. I guess his relationship with her didn't last."

"Guess not," Rocky agreed. "What does that mean for the two of you?"

"I don't know. I guess I'll find out."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Shake it Up**

Cece and Rocky took over cleaning up the kitchen while Gunther fiddled with the broken stereo. Flynn was sitting on the couch, reading a book he had brought with him, and Deuce had run out to the Winnebago.

The door flung open. "Found it," Deuce exclaimed, the hood of his raincoat pulled tight over his face.

"Oh, you're soaked," Rocky said. "Stay there. I'll get a towel from the bathroom." She grabbed a large bath towel from a large selection folded neatly in a small linen closet adjacent to the bathroom.

"Thanks," Deuce said as Rocky approached him.

"No problem," she said before removing his wet jacket and toweling him off a bit. "Now you're all dry. What did you find?"

"Wire stripper," he said, holding up the tool.

"I take it that means you need to strip some wires," she teased, a hint of impropriety seeping into her voice.

He laughed. "Maybe." He set the wire strippers on a small table by the door and grabbed at her stomach and started tickling her.

Rocky shrieked. "Oh, stop it, please!"

"You're mine." He chased after her, his fingers wiggling in a faux tickling gesture. She jumped onto the couch next to Flynn and cowered in the corner. Deuce jumped on top of her and tickled her as she giggled helplessly.

Flynn frowned watching the display of intimacy. He wondered if Rocky and Deuce were more than just friends. He hoped not.

The stereo creaked to life, startling everyone. "Got it!" Gunther said.

"Awesome!" Deuce said.

Cece left the kitchen on her toes. "Oh this is great! But could you find a station that plays something else. This music is old, old, old. I want to dance, dance, dance!"

Gunther scanned the channels, static hissing with each twist of the dial. His lips twisted in a frown. "I think this is it." Gunther twisted the dial back to its original position.

"Huh," Flynn said. "This is beyond oldies old. I wonder why it's the only channel we get."

The music twisted from a piano solo to a banjo playing a wild jig.

"Weird music," Gunther said. "But I kind of like it." He stood up and held out a hand to Cece.

"I'm game if you are," she said taking his hand and letting him draw her into his arms.

Cece's feet fell into a modified irish-step and Gunther followed her movements with ease. He had lost none of his grace. He took her hands at all of the right beats and twirled her around and around.

"They look good," Deuce whispered in Rocky's ear.

"I agree," she responded. "Are you in?" she asked him.

"I can't dance like that."

Flynn held out a hand to Rocky, silently grateful for all of the hours Cece forced him to dance with her. "I'll give it a shot."

Rocky shrugged and took Flynn's hand. "You're in for it. I still got all the moves."

Flynn duplicated the complicated pattern of steps that Cece and Gunther were gliding through. It wasn't effortless for him, as it was for Cece, Gunther, and Rocky, but he could do it with only minor flubs. He twirled Rocky around at all the right intervals, until she collapsed into his chest.

"You are really good," she said to him, with a soft smile that reminded him of the way Cece smiled at him. He knew what it meant - she saw him as a little brother - still. It would take something monumental to shift her perception of him, and he wasn't sure he was capable of monumental.

"Thanks! You definitely still have the moves. Let's take a break. You knocked the wind out of me," he said with forced cheerfulness.

She frowned. He hoped it wasn't because she was reading the lie in his words.

Thunder clapped suddenly and the lights flicked and then died.

Cece shrieked and clung to Gunther.

"It's just a power outage. Nothing to be scared of." His hands glided down her waist. The dark acted as an unspoken excuse for letting his hands slip.

"It's pitch black," she whispered, her lips touching his ear. Two could play at that game.

"Give it a moment. Our eyes will adjust."

"There's a flashlight in the kitchen," Deuce said, fumbling his way in that direction.

There were a series of curses as Deuce managed to slam his knees and elbows into every possible sharp surface.

"I found it." Deuced switched on the flashlight into onto Rocky and Cece and Gunther.

Cece frowned. "Where's Flynn?" she asked, separating herself from Gunther. "He was dancing with you, Rocky?"

"He let go after the lights went out."

The lights flickered back on. Cece's frown deepened. "Flynn!" she cried. "Where are you?"

"Maybe he went to the bathroom or something," Deuce said.

"I didn't hear him leave," Cece said.

"Would you have heard him over the sound of Deuce bumping into everything?" Rocky asked.

"Hey!" Deuce said.

Cece opened the bathroom door. The bathroom was empty. Gunther opened the door to the boy's room, and Rocky opened up the door to the girl's room. Both bedrooms were empty. There were no other rooms in the cabin.

"Hey," Deuce said. "The front door is ajar. Would he have gone out to the Winnebago for something?"

"Why would he leave in the rain?" Cece asked.

Deuce put his rain jacket back on. "I'll go look for him."

Cece went to the girl's bedroom and grabbed a raincoat from her suitcase. "I'm going with you," she cried.

"Flynn, where are you?" Cece screamed as rain poured down on her.

"Flynn," Deuce boomed. "You're freaking us out! C'mon kid."

Deuce pulled open the door to the Winnebago. It was empty.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Mysteries**

"He's not in here!" Cece moaned.

She was stating the obvious, but Deuce decided to refrain from mentioning it.

"Where is he? How are we supposed to find him? This is terrible," Cece moaned again as tendrils of her long red hair whipped across her face. The wind had picked up.

"What if we try calling him on his cell phone? I guess it's possible that he just stepped out for some fresh air - maybe took a little walk." It seemed implausible that Flynn would leave in the middle of a blackout, but Deuce remembered Cece's flair for the dramatic, and a logical suggestion might prevent a breakdown.

"Call him, yes of course." She ran inside, leaving Deuce alone in the rain.

"Flynn, c'mon kid, you're scaring your sister. If you can hear me, please come inside." There was no response, so Deuce followed Cece back into the cabin.

XOXOXOXOXO

When the lights went out, Flynn reluctantly let go of Rocky. Deuce was bumping into everything and Flynn felt uncertain Deuce would make it to a flashlight without killing himself. Flynn had left his cell on a table near the couch, and he figured if he could grab it and turn it on, its glow could help them navigate through the cluttered room. He stepped in the direction he thought would lead to the table, and tried to feel with his hands for the table but it wasn't where he expected it to be, so he kept stepping slowly. He finally touched the bricks of the wall. Clearly he had missed his objective. He sighed turned around to lean against the wall, and fell into empty space. As his body descended, he tried to scream, but his voice got caught in his throat. He landed hard on a springy mattress. A dim light underneath a closed door lit the small sparse room bounded by a door, four stone walls, and a hard packed dirt floor. The mattress seemed to be the only item in the room. Flynn stood up, rubbing his head.

"Hey, guys, I'm down here," Flynn called towards the open space above his head. "C'mon. Can't you hear me?"

There was no response. Flynn sighed, deciding he would have to look for a set of stairs or something. He touched the knob of the door and then pulled his hand back. The doorknob was icy cold. He forced himself to touch the knob again, but only long enough to turn it, before he nudged the door open with his foot. There was a fire burning in a stone fireplace on the far end of the room, and a high backed stuffed chair faced the fireplace.

Flynn stepped forward. "Hey, is there anyone here?"

A snort interrupted the silence. Flynn stopped walking. "Look, I need to get out of here. I fell - somehow - and ended up down here. How do I get out? Are there stairs or something? What are you doing here anyway? There isn't supposed to be anyone here this weekend."

The chair swiveled around; revealing a small bald man with enormous pointed ears. "So, you made it? I wondered," the man said in a creaking voice.

"Who are you?" Flynn asked. "What are you doing here?"

"You ask a lot of questions young man."

Flynn's eyes narrowed, but he decided to wait for the odd looking man to answer.

"I live here."

"In the basement of Deuce's cousin's cabin? Do you know his cousin or something?"

The man laughed. "No. I invited your friend Deuce here, in a roundabout way. He just thinks his cousin owns this place. It's mine. Well, if a place can be owned, it's mine. That's a point I've not yet resolved."

"But Deuce said it was his cousin's cabin."

"A necessary misdirection," the man said. "You're not very perceptive, are you?"

"Okay, freakshow, why don't you just tell me how to get back upstairs. So my friends and I can get out of here."

The man laughed. "You're welcome to try to leave." He pointed in the direction of another door set next to the fireplace. "But I doubt you'll be successful."

"Whatever," Flynn said rolling his eyes as he approached the door.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

"I don't have a signal," Cece closed her eyes and fell dramatically on a recliner.

"Neither do I," chorused Rocky, Deuce and Gunther.

"What if we drive around until we pick up a signal?" Rocky suggested.

"We could do that, but even if we get a signal, what if Flynn doesn't have one," Deuce said.

"Wait a second," Gunther added, holding up a white I-phone that had been sitting on an end table. "Isn't this Flynn's phone?"

Cece grabbed it from out of his hand. "Damn it. Yes, it's his. He wouldn't have left without his phone." She closed her eyes. "I want to call the police."

Gunther knelt down in front of Cece and took her hand in his. "How about Deuce and Rocky go look for a phone or a signal so they can call someone, and you and I stay here and wait to see if Flynn comes back."

As Cece murmured in agreement, they all jumped at the sound of rattling and the sight of a bulge forming underneath the rug.

"Everyone off!" Deuce said. "Let's move the furniture and get this rug up. Something's underneath the floor."


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: **Thank you guys for the reviews. I am open to some interactive storytelling - so Msshortey, I am giving Flynn an OC for you. :)

**Chapter 8: Glory**

Flynn entered a long narrow corridor. Flynn intended to leave the door ajar, but as soon as he let go of the handle it slammed shut behind him. He whirled around and tried to turn the knob, but it was stuck firmly in place. He winced, wishing he had stuck something in the door so that he could get back into that room, but it was clearly too late for that. Flynn turned around and examined the corridor facing him. The wall to his left was covered with wallpaper decorated with a faded floral pattern. The wall to his right was composed of loose boards of wood, with no plaster finish. Cold gushes of air swished through the gaps in the boards. As Flynn walked down the corridor he kept himself pressed to the left, he had an odd sensation that things could get through the gaps - unpleasant things.

After about ten minutes of walking Flynn started to grow concerned that something was very wrong with this place. There were no doors or passageways or anything, just this endless corridor. He started running, he was good at that. He played football in the fall and ran track in the spring. He ran until he was out of breath, uncertain how far he had gone. He slumped down and let his head drop in his hands. This was terrible. He wished he were the sort of guy who could think his way out of bad situation.

"Cece!" He cried his sister's name, certain that she couldn't hear him, but he was out of ideas.

"Who's Cece?" A girl's voice interrupted.

Flynn's head jerked towards the sound of the voice. But there was no one there. The corridor was still empty.

"Who said that?" Flynn whispered.

"Me," the girlish voice whispered back.

"Where are you? I don't see you."

"I'm on the other side of the wall."

Flynn could see two fingers sticking out of the space between the wooden slats on the opposing wall. Instinctively, Flynn backed up, cringing even further into the wall.

"You shouldn't be scared of me. I'm not going to hurt you."

Flynn inhaled, and stood, trying to clear his head of the fuzziness that was threatening. "Why are you back there?"

Flynn could hear the girl tapping her foot, at least that's what he thought she was doing. "I don't know. I've been here a long time. You didn't answer my question. Who's Cece?"

"She's my sister. She must be so worried about me just disappearing. And I don't know how to get out of here."

"I can help you."

"Really? If we can get back upstairs, we can get out of here. We can take you with us."

"I can't leave," she said, a note of despair in her voice.

"Yes you can. What's your name?"

"Glory. My name's Glory. I really can't leave, but you might be able to - assuming you haven't slept in the beds yet. Have you slept here?"

"No. We just got here a few hours ago."

"Well that's good. You still have a chance." Her fingers disappeared and reappeared holding a penknife. "If you cut out the wall paper, you should be able to find a door."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"A lot of things don't make sense. You should hurry. Or you'll be stuck here too."

Flynn took the knife from her fingers, and cut a line through the wallpaper, and then started ripping it off the wall. It didn't take long before the outline of a door was revealed.

He turned back towards the girl. "Glory?" He asked. "Are you still there?" There was no answer and he sighed. "I don't want to leave you here." Silence echoed around him, and he wondered if he had made up the friendly girl who had helped him, but the knife in his hand prevented him from believing she was a hallucination. He frowned. He didn't like the idea of abandoning the girl, but he was anxious to return to his sister.

He pushed open the door and was greeted with a set of stone stairs that led up to a closed hatch. He walked up the stairs, and opened the hatch, but it was there was some sort of felt material blocking the passage. He banged his hands against the felt material and started yelling.

"Let me out!"

Flynn could hear muffled voices above his head, and hoped they were his friends realizing that he was trapped beneath their feet.

It took some time, but eventually the felt covering disappeared and Cece's face appeared.

"Oh Flynn, thank god!" She cried.

Flynn bounded up the rest of the stairs and embraced his sister, who started crying against his chest.

"It's okay, it's okay," he tried to comfort her, patting down her wild red curls.

After a time, she let him go and started to hit him. "How could you take off like that? I was so scared."

Even though there was no strength behind her flailing, Flynn stepped backwards, trying to avoid her. "It wasn't my fault."

"What happened?" Deuce asked. "After the lights came back on, you were just gone, like you totally vanished."

"I was looking for my cell phone and I must have missed the table, and I touched the wall and then I just fell into what must be the basement."

All of their gazes moved to the wall. Deuce walked carefully in that direction, taking each step with care. "Found it," he said, as she showed them all a man-sized trap door in the floor. When he touched it with one foot it opened to a floor below them. "You must have accidently stepped on it and down you went."

"What was down there?" Gunther asked.

"Weird stuff. I think we should get out of here. Now."

A slow smile started to form at the corners of Deuce's mouth. "We could go down there and explore? It could be fun."

Flynn closed his eyes. "No. That's a really bad idea."

Rocky grabbed Flynn's hand. "C'mon Flynn, it'll be an adventure."

"You're not scared, are you?" Deuce taunted.

Flynn and Cece frowned.

"Let's take a vote," Rocky suggested.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Adventures**

Observing Cece and Flynn's pained expressions at the suggestion of exploring the basement, Deuce felt a pang of guilt. But at the same time he was relieved that Rocky seemed to be in favor of the idea. The little selfish part of him was more concerned about losing his opportunity to spend time with Rocky, than of some inherent risk involved with exploring the basement. He needed to find a way to convince her to move back, to give him a chance. Their whole futures were at stake. He couldn't help but think that he was given this weekend as a chance to win her, and if they packed things up and drove back to the city, his opportunity with her would evaporate.

"Wait a second," Gunther interrupted, his brows furrowed. "Flynn what happened to you down in the basement? Be specific."

Flynn bit his lower lip, and averted his gaze. Suddenly he felt a prick of uncertainty. Had it really happened like he remembered?

"Please, Flynn. Tell us. And no matter what, I won't let them make you go down there if you don't want to." Cece touched his arm.

Flynn hardened his jaw, and recounted the events of his fall, his encounter with the strange man and the girl who was hidden behind the boards of the wall. The whole story sounded surreal.

Deuce grimaced. "Kid, it sounds like you fell, hit your head, and hallucinated an experience to fill the gap in time."

"The knife," Flynn gasped. "The girl gave it to me." He reached into his pocket to pull out the knife, but it was gone. He closed his eyes. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I did imagine it. It seemed so real though."

Gunther nodded. "You fell pretty far."

"Let me see your head," Rocky said. "Let's make sure you don't have a concussion." She took him by the hand and led him to one of couches where he gratefully sank into the cushions. She ran her fingers through his hair feeling his scalp. At first it was nice to have her so close, and then a shot of pain hit him. He flinched.

"That is a pretty nasty bump," she commented, and then peered into his eyes. "Your pupils look okay. That's good. Do you hear any ringing? Do you have a headache? Do you feel nauseous? Do you see any flashing lights?"

"Nope, nope, nope and nope."

"Anything feel weird?"

He shook his head. "I don't think so."

"Okay, well, I don't think it's a concussion. But, to be safe, no drinking alcohol, only take Tylenol if you have a headache, and no sports."

Flynn nodded. "So I imagined everything?"

Rocky pursed her lips. "Probably. I mean think about it Flynn. Do you really think there are people living down there?"

He lowered his head. "No I guess not."

"So we explore?" Deuce asked.

"Okay, if that's what you want," Flynn gave in.

"Wait a second," Cece interrupted. "I don't want to go down there."

Gunther put an arm around her waist and pulled her toward him, his eyebrows wiggling. "I'll protect you."

She gave him a withering glare, but didn't disengage. "Fine, if you all want to go explore, I suppose it's okay."

Deuce smiled a toothy grin, and took Rocky by the hand, squeezing tight.

She smiled back. "After you, adventure boy."

Deuce grabbed the flashlight and switched it on, before climbing down the stone stairs.

"It's just an empty room," Deuce called up to the others. "How did you see down here without any light, Flynn? Deuce switched off the flashlight, and flicked it back on. "It's pitch black down here."

Rocky moved to join Deuce, climbing down the stone stairs slowly. She wished there was a handrail or something. The dim light of the flashlight didn't offer nearly enough light.

"C'mon guys. Don't leave us alone down here," Rocky called up.

"Hmm. Let's rethink that decision. I don't think I mind being left alone with you," Deuce leered at her.

"Mmm, now that you have me here in the dark, what are you going to do with me?" She whispered.

He flicked off the light and grabbed her around the waist.

She squealed.

"Stop fooling around," Cece called down to them. "Turn the light back on, we're coming down. Gunther helped Cece down, and Flynn was the last to join the group on the floor.

Flynn frowned. "I thought this room looked different. And I thought there was a door there," he pointed towards a plaster wall.

"Wait, there's a door over here," Gunther said, pointing in the opposite direction to a wooden door that hung loosely on rusted hinges. He pushed the door open and it squeaked loudly.

The light from the flashlight flooded the second room, and Cece screamed.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:** I appreciate the reviews - my apologies for the cliffhangers. I'm not really sure how to write a chapter without one. I tried to write this chapter quickly. Also I've been aiming for about a thousand words per chapter, but I'm not really sure what is considered appropriate for fanfiction. It's something of a balancing act - speed vs. length. If you guys would rather wait for longer chapters I would be happy to oblige. Any thoughts? I could aim for 2000 words for future chapters.

**Chapter 10: Strange Encounters**

The light from the flashlight illuminated a white walled room. The floor was lined with a thick plastic sheath. A series of manacles were bolted to one wall. There were three empty human sized cages in one corner, and a table with a wide circular saw sat in the middle of the floor. The saw was bathed in dark red. A similar colored puddle of red was forming on the floor from a steady stream of drips that were falling from the table. Drip, drip, drip.

Rocky edged forward. Deuce moved to stop her, but she avoided his hand and once inside the room she knelt down next to the puddle. "It's fresh," she said, her finger tracing a line through the dark red liquid.

"Okay, so it seems like there really is someone else down here," Deuce said. "I change my vote to let's get out of here."

"Seconded," Gunther agreed, backing up.

Cece was the first out of the room. She ran up the stone steps and put her hands against the hatch. It was stuck. "I can't move it. Something's blocking it."

"Why is it closed in the first place? Flynn, didn't you leave it open?" Gunther asked.

"I didn't close it, I swear." Flynn's head dropped. "We shouldn't have come down here."

"Cece come down, and let me try," Deuce said. "Maybe it just needs some manpower."

Cece rolled her eyes, but descended the steps without hesitation. She hated the idea that there was something she couldn't do. However, she wasn't going to let her pride get in the way of escaping from this hole.

Deuce pressed his arms against the hatch and shoved with all of his force. The hatch didn't budge. "Come up here Flynn, and help me push."

Flynn joined Deuce, which was somewhat challenging given the narrowness of the steps and they both pushed together." The hatch didn't move.

"Maybe there's another way out," Rocky said, trying to hide the panic that was threatening.

Gunther closed his eyes. "I remember seeing bulkhead doors." He pointed north. "That way."

"How are we supposed to go that way? There's only the one door," Deuce complained. "Gunther come over here and help push."

"Three of us won't fit," Flynn pointed out and stepped down letting Gunther replace him on the stairs.

Flynn moved to the location along the wall where he remembered entering the room in the first place. He placed his hands against the spot, digging his fingers into the rough plaster. Rocky joined him and placed her hand next to his. "I like a boy with initiative," she whispered.

"I swear this is where I came in." Flynn's eyes were narrowed in concentration.

Cece walked over and leaned heavily against Flynn's back. "I'm so sorry I dragged you into this, kiddo."

"I think I feel something," Rocky said. "There's an edge here."

Flynn placed his hand next to hers. "I feel it." He traced the depression; it formed the outline of a door. Flynn pushed and it opened inwards.

Deuce and Gunther jumped down from the stairs.

"It's like a hallway," Cece said.

"A very long one," Flynn agreed, looking at the torn wallpaper. He knelt down and picked up the small penknife that lay forgotten next to the hidden door.

"We should find the girl," Flynn said.

"The one who gave you the knife?" Rocky asked.

Flynn nodded and moved close to the side of the wall with the loose boards. "Glory, are you there? Glory, please answer."

"You were supposed to leave," a girl's voice rasped. "I held him off. Now it's too late. Why didn't you leave?"

"Who did you hold off?" Flynn asked.

There was no response. "We shouldn't leave her back there alone," Deuce said, touching the wooden slats. "I bet we can take off these boards."

"Wait." Flynn held out a hand towards Deuce. "Glory do you want us to take off the boards? Or do you want us to leave you alone."

"Did you try the hatch again?" she whispered.

"It was stuck," Flynn answered.

Her sigh reverberated against the walls. "Then you can't leave. You'll have to come with me. There isn't much time. The dwarf will take you to the bad room if we don't hide."

"Is the bad room, the room with the cages and the saw and the blood?" Rocky asked.

"You saw it?"

"We were just there. It was a pretty creepy room," she said through the boards.

Deuce, Flynn and Gunther each grasped boards from the wall and yanked them off. It didn't take long before they had opened up a wide space. The room behind the slats was walled and floored with packed dirt.

The girl was dressed in a schoolgirl uniform: a plaid skirt that touched pale knees, and a very dirty button down white short sleeved blouse with a crest emblazoned in the upper right corner. Her blond hair was split into twin braids. She looked to be about fourteen or fifteen - too old for the braids. Flynn was surprised by how pretty she was with a pert, slightly too wide nose covered in freckles, a wide frowning mouth and lightly lashed bright blue eyes.

Her frown turned up into a slight smile as she looked at them. "You'll have to follow me."

"Wait," Gunther stopped her. "Is there a way to the bulkhead doors? They should provide a way out if we can find them."

Glory laughed, a short curt laugh. "You really don't understand what happened, do you."

A loud hissing sound erupted through the hallway, followed by an awful scream.

"It looks like we're out of time. We'll have to run," she said. "Follow me." She grabbed Flynn's hand and they ran through tunnels carved out of the ground.

The route was a confusing, and Rokcy worried that they would never found their way out again. As she looked back, she could have sworn she saw an odd creature that looked like an oversized hamster with giant fangs following them, but after they turned a corner, she looked again and the passageway was empty. Deuce had her hand tightly in his and prevented her from going back to get a better look at the creature.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Down the Rabbit Hole**

The door opened up into a small room. Once they were all safely inside, Glory shut the door and bolted it into place with a large wooden bar. Something slammed against the door causing them all to jump at a loud thump and all of the furniture in the room shook from the power of the thump. The six of them stared at the door waiting to see if it would hold and if there would be any more attempts from their unseen adversary. Whatever it was that was following them must have lost interest, for only silence followed. There was a tiny table set in the middle of the room with a tiny teakettle and four tiny teacups. Cece moved to the table and picked up one of the miniature teacups. She almost expected it to be a plastic toy set. But the cup was good china.

"This is an odd tea set," she commented.

"It belonged to the rabbit."

"The rabbit?"

"Yes. The one who used to live here before I moved in."

Cece, Flynn, Rocky, Gunther and Deuce shared a look of concern.

Flynn touched Glory's arm, and Glory flinched and jumped backwards. "You touched me!"

Flynn nodded. "I didn't mean any harm."

She nodded, a concerned frown forming on her face.

"Glory, rabbits don't drink tea," Flynn said.

"The one who used to live here drank tea. He also wore a top hat and a pocket watch."

"This isn't 'Alice in Wonderland'," Deuce accused. Deuce wondered if the poor girl had lost her mind. If she was living down here alone, it was very likely that she wasn't playing with a full deck of cards.

"That's true. It's much worse."

"Can you tell us what happened to you? How did you end up here?" Rocky asked softly.

Glory's nostrils flared and her gaze twisted away from them.

"Please," Flynn added. He put his hand back on her arm, and this time she didn't flinch away.

"We need to understand," Cece said.

Glory nodded. "It's such a sad story. But you're stuck here, and it might help you. Why don't you sit and I'll make some tea? We may as well be comfortable."

The chairs were too small, so Cece and Gunther settled on the big fur rug on the floor. Cece settled in next to Gunther. His arm drifted around her shoulder. And she snuggled into his chest. She hadn't been aware of how tired she was, and she was grateful for the comfort of his arms. It felt so natural to Cece to be held by him. She turned his face toward his and he looked as if he was going to kiss her, but instead his lips turned into a small smile.

"This probably isn't our moment. But, I swear we'll find it," he whispered.

"I hate it, but you're right." She squeezed his hand. "We can wait."

Rocky, Flynn and Deuce followed Glory into the kitchen. It was a very odd looking kitchen, with a fire brewing in the corner. There was an empty copper pot that swung gently over the fire. Glory filled the pot with water from a jug she pulled out of a cabinet.

She turned to them. "It'll take a little bit to heat up. Why don't you go sit down with your friends? I'll be out in a minute."

Rocky and Deuce nodded and left the room. Flynn started to follow them, and then changed his mind. "I'll stay," Flynn said.

Flynn stood awkwardly, shifting from one foot to another. He felt like he was standing on a precipice, and if he wasn't careful he would choose the wrong words and fall. So he said nothing.

Glory routed through the cabinet until she found a small burlap bag. She opened it and smiled. "I thought the rabbit might have left something. Look, Flynn, there's nuts and berries."

Flynn bit his lip in concern. She was talking about the rabbit again. He wished she wouldn't, it made him nervous.

"I think the water's probably warm enough. Will you help me?" She handed him the teakettle, and he held it while she filled the kettle with warm water from the pot.

She stuffed a small silk bag with dried leaves and put the bag in the kettle, before they walked back into the main room.

Flynn placed the teakettle on the table to steep, and joined the others on the floor while Glory passed around the bag of nuts and fruit.

Flynn sat down next to Glory, and watched her carefully.

"I supposed I've put this off long enough," she started. "My parents, my little brother and I came out here to spend a week fishing and hiking. We planned to stay at a cabin a few miles away from this one. My parents bought it on a whim, I think they were worried that we were turning into city kids, and this was their plan to drive the country into us. On the way up, we stopped at a gas station, because my dad was terrible with directions and he and my mother had grown uncertain what road they needed to take. The young man who owned the gas station greeted us. He was handsome, and affable and more than happy to put us on the right path."

"Wait," Rocky interrupted. "We stopped at a gas station too. But the man who ran the place was old, creepy and crazy."

"I know," Glory said, an unkind glint in her eyes.

"He and his brother used to live in this cabin, and they would watch out for young girls coming up the woods. So after we met him, he told his brother about me, and they formed a plan. They must have waited and waited outside our cabin for a chance. The second night, I got into a fight with my mother. It was stupid. I was mad that she wouldn't let me go to a party the next week. I marched out, saying I wanted to be alone. I didn't get far before the man from the gas station, and his brother, the dwarf, grabbed me. They stuffed a cloth down my throat and dragged me back to this cabin. They locked me up in a cage in the bad room with the saw. I was down there alone for days with no food. I screamed and screamed and no one heard me. I suppose my parents must have been frantic looking for me. But they never found me. I think that as it was happening I didn't fully understood the seriousness of the situation. I expected someone to come down and save me. Days later the two brothers came down to the basement. I don't know why they waited. Maybe they wanted to weaken me first, or to make sure I was sufficiently terrified. Either, way they did come, and they did awful things to me in that room, and eventually they got bored and killed me."

Flynn's eyes were wide and he wanted to comfort Glory somehow, but he didn't know what to do or what to say.

"After I died, a part of me stayed. And in my anger, I grew stronger. I started in on the dwarf. Showing my self for seconds, whispering in his ear. I took my time about it, but eventually I drove him mad, and he killed himself. And now I'm working on his brother. The brother is harder though, because he stopped coming to the cabin, and it's harder for me to get to the gas station. The dwarf's ghost tries to stop me, too. But, I think it's been working. He's certainly crazy. I just need to convince him that he needs to kill himself, and then I'll be done."

"I don't believe you," Deuce said. "You're story is crazy."

"Deuce!" Rocky turned to him.

"What? You don't believe her, do you?"

Rocky bit her lip. "I think I do believe her."

"Why?" Gunther asked. "There's no proof. How is it possible that we're talking to a dead girl?"

Rocky's lip trembled. "I think we're dead too. I've thought it for awhile."


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: **Thank youalexis, WeasleyQueenfan1988, xXNicklezXx, and TinnaSkylaer for the reviews on the last chapter. I'm really excited about how this story is going and about how the story is being received. This fandom is very positive.

**Chapter 12: Pairing Off**

"You can't be serious," Deuce turned on Rocky. "Why would you say that?"

Rocky sighed. "Well it could be dream, but it's too linear. Dreams usually shift around." She put a hand on Deuce's arm, trying to calm him, but he pulled away from her.

"We can't be dead. I can't be dead. I have business to run, people to take care of. I don't have the luxury to just disappear out of my life. I'm not some ... some _student_ with zero responsibilities. It was hard enough just taking off a weekend."

Rocky sighed. She considered tossing out a rebuff that he shouldn't have bothered with arranging this trip in the first place, but she didn't have the stomach for it. She didn't want to fight with him. Instead she stood, breaking herself from her seat next to Deuce, and poured herself a cup of tea. She sipped. It wasn't bad.

"You might not be dead," Glory broke in. "I've brought living people across the veil before, although never on purpose. Usually, they can return fairly easily. I was surprised that you weren't able to get through the hatch."

"The veil?" Flynn asked, as he followed Rocky's lead and joined her next to the teapot to pour himself a cup. He poured a second for Glory and handed it to her.

"The veil between the living and dead, or at least that's how I've been thinking about it."

"Is the hatch the veil?" Cece asked.

"The hatch is like a hole in the veil."

"Are there a lot of holes?" Gunther asked, tightening his arm around Cece, who was shivering.

"There are some. I think what happens is if there's an unhappy spirit who keeps bumping against the veil, it thins and then breaks, but if the spirit stays away the veil mends itself.

"An unhappy spirit like you?" Flynn asked.

"Me and the dwarf. We've both been mucking around this cabin for so long, that it's filled with holes, like the hatch and the one you fell through."

"So if you leave, do you think the holes will go away and we can pass back?" Deuce said.

"I'm afraid that if the holes mend themselves you'll be stuck on this side. I think we have to find someplace else for you to cross. If the dwarf is protecting the holes in the cabin, maybe he's trying to keep you here. He does like young girls after all."

"That's mega-creepy. So you think it was the dwarf's fault we couldn't pass through," Cece concluded.

"Probably," Glory responded. She sipped the tea. "He's the only other spirit here."

"Where should we go then?"

"There are some weak spots in the woods," Glory yawned. "We could try them tomorrow."

"Yawns are contagious," Cece commented. "I'm tired too."

"I didn't know you could sleep after you died," Flynn said to Glory.

"It's not really that different from being alive," Glory responded.

"I guess we just sleep here on the floor," Gunther said.

"It beats sleeping in the tunnels," Glory said.

"Here here," Gunther agreed.

Cece curled into a ball on the floor, and Gunther put a protective arm around her. They were the first two to drift off into sleep.

"It looks like they've finally chosen each other," Rocky whispered to Flynn, a light smile on her face.

"I guess so. It's kind of weird. I don't even know what country he's from."

"No one does."

"And his accent is completely gone, do you remember how odd he sounded when he first moved to the states?"

Rocky laughed. "Yep."

Deuce stood and walked into the kitchen, his mouth still set in a deep frown.

Rocky pursed her lips. "I'm going to go try to talk to him."

Flynn nodded. It was funny he had been so upset about the closeness forming between Rocky and Deuce, but now he didn't seem to mind. Flynn and Glory spread out on the fur rug, away from Gunther and Cece.

"There was something we didn't tell you," Flynn whispered to Glory. "When we stopped at the gas station, the guy there was acting really creepy, he said some really awful things to Rocky, and then it seemed like he was going to try to keep her there. I hit him against the head, and he fell. I thought I killed him, but he was still breathing when we left." Flynn felt awkward sharing this confession with Glory, but he knew she needed to know.

"Oh," she said. "I wonder if he died after you left. If he did die, maybe his spirit came here, and it was him and not the dwarf who prevented you from passing. He would be pretty pissed at you if you killed him."

"Or maybe he's not dead," Flynn said. "I don't really want to be a murderer."

"You shouldn't be upset, he was a really bad guy. Sometimes killing is justified. Either way, we need to find out. If the dwarf's brother is dead, then I don't need to be here anymore. The only reason I've stayed is to drive him to suicide, so that he can't kill anymore girls."

"Where would you go?"

"There's a door that leads to the next level. I didn't pass through it because, I didn't think it was right to leave those psychos here to destroy any more lives. I guess I'll pass through the door."

Flynn closed his eyes. "I guess that means I'll never see you again."

Glory touched Flynn's cheek. "There's no such thing as never."

Rocky entered the kitchen to the sight of Deuce rummaging through the cabinets.

"I can't find any coffee. I hate tea. I found bin of carrots. I wonder if there really was a rabbit here."

Rocky smiled. "I'm sorry," she said, hoping the simplicity of the words would be enough.

He turned toward her. "No. I shouldn't have lashed out at you, it's just that it sort of seems like you're enjoying this, like you think it's an adventure."

"It is an adventure, but we'll find a way out."

He nodded.

She walked closer to him and let her head drop against his chest. He put his arms around her, drawing her closer, and then lifted her chin and kissed her hard on the mouth. She tightened her arms around him. And he pushed her against the counter as the kiss deepened. Eventually, he disengaged and stared into her eyes. "You'll move back? Come to school here? After we get out of this."

She nodded. "Yes," she said in a throaty whisper.

"Good. I don't want to lose you again. I've loved you for so long."

"You won't lose me. I promise. How about one more kiss and then we try to get some sleep."

He laughed. "I can handle another kiss."

**Author's Note: **I just published my second ebook on Amazon and Smashwords. The first is titled 'Anais of Brightshire' and the second is titled 'Anais of the Stolen Road'. Check them out if you are looking for something to read. Thanks!


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: **So I'm writing stories in three fandoms, and you guys are the sweetest reviewers. It's nice not having to be nervous when I press the submit button. So - although I am generally on about a one-week cycle - for a prize for being my nicest fandom I'm posting a short bonus 'fast update' chapter and it's all GECE.

**Chapter 13: GECE**

Cece yawned, extending her arms.

"You're awake?" Gunther asked softly, his breath tickling her ear.

She rolled around facing him, her eyes still heavily lidded with sleep. "Hi," she whispered. "Is everyone else still sleeping?"

He nodded.

"This is so crazy," she said.

"I know. I'm glad we're here though."

"Really? This is such a nightmare."

"True. But, I was so afraid that when I went looking for you this time that it would be too late. You'd still be dating that guy, or you'd just hate me for last summer. And then when Deuce set up this weekend, I was scared it wouldn't give us enough time. Now we have time."

"Wait. Come looking for me again? Did you come before?"

"Pretty much as soon as we got back to school, I realized I had made a huge mistake. I broke it off with Elise and Labor Day weekend I came down to see you. I saw one of your shows and then went backstage to talk to you, but you were making out with some guy, so I left."

"Oh. I started dating him after you went back to school. I was so upset, that when he asked me out ... it was too easy to just fall into it. It was a mistake. But that girl you were dating made me feel so inferior, I just needed someone to tell me how pretty I was. God that sounds ridiculously needy."

"I'm just as guilty. I think the reason I started dating Elise in the first place was because you were dating someone else the last time I came home, and I didn't want you to think I couldn't get a girlfriend."

She hit him. "I would never think that you couldn't get a girlfriend."

He caught her hand and kissed her knuckles. "You're very pretty. I've always thought so."

"You're just telling me what I want to hear."

"Yes."

"Wait. Wait. Wait. How is this going to work? You're going to go back to school. And then what?"

He laughed softly. "I graduated. I have a summer internship that starts in two weeks in Chicago. I do have to find a real job, but I have a little time to think about that. Part of the reason I took the internship instead of applying to companies for full time work was that I thought it would give me time to give it a real try with you. Or at least make the attempt, even if it ended in failure."

"It won't end in failure. Not if we really try." He pulled her toward him and their lips grazed lightly. Cece felt a strain of electric current course through her. "You know what, I'm glad we're stuck here too."

He nibbled gently on her ear and then whispered, "I suppose it's too early to declare my undying love."

"Much, much too early. You have to be punished," she chided, and dug into his ribs tickling him.

He couldn't contain himself, and burst out in a hoarse laugh. He frowned. He hadn't meant to be so loud. He caught the sounds of the others stirring as a result of his outburst. He hadn't wanted to lose those precious moments of alone time with Cece. He didn't want to lose the threads of their connection. He took a chance and kissed her long and hard on the lips, it was their first real kiss. She kissed him back, moving her body closer and closer into his waiting arms.

"Hey, you better stop kissing my sister," Flynn interrupted, destroying the fragile connection.

"Sorry man," Gunther muttered, disengaging himself.

Cece glared at her brother.

"Seriously," Flynn said. "The last thing I need to see this early in the morning is my sister in a lip lock."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: A Dangerous Path**

As Cece and Gunther pulled apart, Cece's face flared red in embarrassment. The last thing that she had wanted was for Flynn to catch them kissing. It felt too reminiscent of the too frequent times they had caught their mother kissing some random guy. There had been no end to their mutual misery in those moments.

"Sorry," Cece muttered.

Flynn rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he said, his voice clipped.

Cece sighed. She was never going to be able to really fix things for Flynn. It would always be impossible.

The others woke up slowly, one woke and then another until they found themselves sitting in a circle of six on the thick fur rug. Rocky, the last to wake, rubbed her eyes, trying to force herself completely out of her too vivid dreams that seemed to meld with the strange circumstances they had fallen into.

"We need to go to the gas station," Glory started. "Flynn told me about what happened with you guys before you got here. I need to know if the dwarf's brother is really dead."

"How can we get there, if we can't get into the cabin?" Deuce said, his voice thick with concern.

"There are tunnels. I know the way. There's a weak spot at the gas station, you could get through the veil there. I only suggested the woods last night because they're closer, and easier to get to. But the gas station will work."

"If the woods are closer?" Deuce asked.

"Deuce!" Rocky said. "We have to help her."

"I'm sorry. Of course, you're right. Let's go to the gas station." He smiled lightly at Rocky, touching her arm.

"Wait a second. Will there be any of those things in the tunnels that were chasing us last night? I don't really want to be anything's breakfast," Gunther added.

"Me neither," Cece said with a shiver.

Glory shook her head. "They only come out at night. We're perfectly safe."

"I'm a little hungry," Cece said, her stomach growling. "Do you have any food?"

"She has carrots," Deuce said. "A lot of carrots."

"Oh yes, there are carrots. I'm rather sick of them though," Glory said.

"Um. Carrots seem like a very strange thing to eat for breakfast," Cece said.

"Maybe the birds left bread. I'll check." Glory pulled a screwdriver out of a side drawer of a little end table, and started to unscrew the knob on the door.

"What are you doing?" Deuce asked. They were all looking at her with odd expressions on their faces.

"You'll see," she said simply.

Once the knob was loose, she set it in another set of holes closer to the center of the door, and screwed it in. Turning the knob she opened the door. A wooded expanse greeted them. Deuce, Rocky, Cece, Gunther and Flynn gasped in surprise. Cece's eyes tracked a subtle glow romping through the leaves. It looked so lovely. She could almost hear a soft song spinning and spinning. She took a step forward, wanting to feel immersed in the light, wanting to dance for eternity beneath the sun-spattered trees. Glory put a hand out to stop her.

"If you go out there, you'll never get back to your world."

Cece nodded and stepped backwards.

Gunther wrapped an arm around her. "I wanted to go too," he whispered.

Glory knelt down and removed two large loaves of bread that were sitting in baskets on the stoop.

"It looks like the birds did leave bread. They do that sometimes. I think they're worried that I haven't passed over yet."

"This is very strange," Rocky said. "Is that heaven?"

Deuce smirked. "Do you see any angels?"

"Well, I don't see any demons sporting pitchforks," Rocky retorted.

Glory shrugged. "The afterlife is complex."

"Why are birds leaving you bread?" Flynn asked.

Glory's lips twitched. "There were other girls. I was the last, but there were others. At first we worked together to drive the dwarf mad, and then one by one they turned into birds and flew away. They bring me bread. So they haven't completely forgotten me. But they come less and less frequently. I think they will forget me someday. I often think of joining them, but I have to make sure the dwarf's brother is dead too. I can't just let him live."

"You're going to turn into a bird?" Flynn asked.

"I don't know." Glory answered. "Maybe."

Deuce shook his head. "Let's just go. I want to get back to reality so I can forget all about this."

Rocky hit him lightly on the shoulder.

"I won't forget you," he caught himself. "Just the impossibility of this place."

They divided the bread into segments and ate it quickly, grateful as the hollowness in their stomachs was replaced with the settled weight of abundance.

Glory placed the doorknob in yet another set of holes in the door and opened it to reveal another set of tunnels. These tunnels were different though. The rocks were an odd shade of green. Flynn trailed his fingers across the rock surface, which was slimy and cold. The air felt different too, full and damp, and resistant to their presence.

They trudged through the tunnels, following Glory's steps. The passage was narrow and they had to go forward single file. It felt like swimming against the current. Some weight or invisible cord tensely pulled them back to the cave-like room that Glory had made into her home.

Cece stumbled, and she wondered idly if she was being hit the hardest by the strange pulling sensation, as the others seemed more able to navigate without assistance. She was the last one in line, and she instantly worried that no one would notice that she was having trouble keeping up. She wanted to call out, but she couldn't find the words.

Gunther looked back, seeing that she had fallen. "We'll catch up," he said to Deuce who was ahead of him.

Deuce nodded and let them fall back behind him. Deuce was also having trouble, but was hell bent on fighting it. His thoughts were swimming so violently that he seemed to only be able to keep a minimum of ideas in his mind. 'Follow Rocky' and 'keep walking' were his constant chant. He heard Gunther calling to him, but the words hadn't really taken hold. He didn't look back.

As Gunther walked backwards, a wave of exhaustion overcame him. He wasn't certain he would make it to Cece's prone form, but he managed. When he reached her, he dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around her.

"Cece, you have to get up. We have to leave."

"I don't want ... I don't want to go. I think I'll just stay here."

"No, Cece. We have our lives to live." His lips were now so close to her ear that he was grazing her lobe. He was so tired. His eyes drifted closed and he fell to Cece's side.

"I'm sorry," Cece whispered. "I'm so sorry. I love you." She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

A thick nimble vine extended out of the rock-crusted wall and wrapped itself around and around the two bodies until they were completely hidden from view.

With some help from Flynn, Glory was the first to pull herself up and out of the tunnel, and into a small cramped room that held a single door. She then knelt and offered him a hand to pull him up. After which, they managed to pull up Rocky and then Deuce, but after Deuce joined them it became clear that Cece and Gunther were nowhere in sight. A bolt of fear jolted Flynn. "Where are they?" he asked. "Where's my sister?"

Glory groaned. "We should have been more careful. I should have expected that something would happen."

"I'm going back for them," Flynn said.

"No," Glory said. "I'll go for them. You have to pass through the door. I think I'll be able to pull them through, but if you get stuck too, it will be too hard for me to bring back all three of you. It will be easier if I just have to bring back two."

"I won't get stuck," Flynn said.

"Can you promise that? Can you honestly say that you weren't tempted to just give yourself up to the tunnel? If you come with me, it will be harder. I'll have a much better chance if I don't have to worry about you too. Please."

Deuce set an arm around Flynn's shoulder. "She's right. I was almost certain I wasn't going to make it through. I'm not letting you go back."

Uncertainty took hold of Flynn. He turned to Rocky. "But we can't leave them. Don't you think we should all go back?"

Rocky felt awful, but she couldn't help but agree with Glory and Deuce. She didn't think she could do make it back, and she didn't want Flynn to go back either. "Cece, would never forgive me if I let you risk yourself. We should cross the veil, and let Glory go back for them."

Deuce had no intention of taking part in this argument. He knew what he had to do. He grasped the knob of the door. "I'm going," he said, as he opened the door and crossed the veil. Flynn, Glory and Rocky watched him disappear into nothingness.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Dead Man Walking**

Deuce found himself in a very dirty public restroom. Urine and feces flooded a broken urinal. The doors isolating the toilets hung loosely on rusted hinges, one door lay on the floor. His nostrils flared in distaste. He couldn't imagine letting the bathroom in Crusty's get this bad. No self-respecting businessman would let this happen. A part of him wanted to run, but he had to wait for Rocky and Flynn. He was certain that Rocky would come through, but he was less certain of Flynn. It was impossible to miss the bond that was forming between Flynn and Glory, and Deuce wondered if he would stay for her. It would be an incredibly noble and stupid gesture.

Deuce watched as Flynn's body unsteadily cratered through the thin membrane separating the world of the living from the world of the dead. Flynn righted himself, barely preventing a fall - which would have been unfortunate given the layer of grime that covered the floor. Flynn groaned. "Damn it!" he said and then looked at Deuce. "She pushed me through."

"Rocky?"

"Yes, Rocky."

After Rocky gracefully stepped through the membrane, Flynn brushed her aside and tried to find the place where she had crossed. But there was nothing. No door no method of crossing. Nothing.

He closed his eyes and groaned. "How could you?"

She looked into Flynn's eyes. "Sorry, kiddo. I had to do it."

He shook his head. "You really didn't. You should have let me decide."

Rocky didn't respond. She felt bad, but she was going to make sure he was safe.

"Okay, look - clearly we have a few things to discuss, but let's not do it here. I want to get out of this place - now."

Rocky nodded. "Yeah, this bathroom is pretty disgusting."

Flynn offered a reluctant nod in agreement. "Fine. I guess I'm following you guys."

There were no paper towels or even toilet paper anywhere to be found in the restroom, so Deuce was forced to actually touch the knob of the door with his hand in order to open it, which made him a bit queasy, but he didn't see another choice.

The three of them left the bathroom and looked around the deserted gas station. They found the place where Flynn had knocked the old crazy guy down to the floor. They expected to find a body, but instead they just found a puddle of stagnant blood. Three dead cockroaches floated on the surface of the puddle. So the man wasn't dead. Flynn offered a small prayer of thanks to the heavens. For even though it would have been simpler if they had found the man's unmoving corpse, he was still reluctant to accept his role as a murderer.

"C'mon," Deuce said and pointed out the front door. "The blood trail points out."

They all breathed deeply of the fresh air outside, grateful for the escape from the fetid stink of the gas station. The blood droplets pointed them down the long road that led to the cabin. "Well, that's convenient," Deuce said. "It looks like he came after us."

"How is that convenient?"

"Well, if he had called the police, you'd be facing an assault charge."

"How do you know he didn't call the police?" Rocky asked, as they started to walk side by side down the green edged road. Thick forest encroached from both sides.

"Well, if he did, they would have sent an ambulance for him. Or at least he would have waited for them at the gas station. There would be no reason for him to walk to the cabin."

Rocky nodded. "I guess that makes sense."

"Of course it makes sense. It was my idea."

Flynn rolled his eyes, as Rocky and Deuce bantered. They seemed so calm, and lighthearted. He wanted to scream at them. But he kept his jaw clenched. He didn't say a word.

It took hours and hours before they reached the cabin. Rocky started limping about halfway along the route. She had made the stupid mistake of choosing boots with pretty pointy heels. They had started to chafe. They were pretty shoes, but were at the same time entirely non-functional. She considered pulling them off, and walking barefoot, but that seemed unwise.

"Thank god," Rocky exclaimed as they sighted the cabin. The boys took off in a run, but she continued her awkward gait.

Flynn was the first to reach the cabin. There was a bloody handprint on the door, which was suggestive that the crazy old man was somewhere inside. Maybe, waiting for them. Flynn hesitated. He wasn't sure if it was smart to open the door and let the psycho have the chance to ambush them. Deuce jumped up on the stoop and stood next to him.

"How do you think we should do this?" Deuce whispered.

Flynn bit his lip. "Don't open the door yet. Go back to the Winnebago and see if you can find some sort of weapon. I'm going to take a look through the window."

Deuce nodded and took off towards the Winnebago.

Flynn walked through the shrubbery finally coming to one of the windows. He peered through, and sighted a man's body lying over the closed hatch in the center of the room. Well, that certainly explained why they couldn't open the hatch. With his weight holding it in place, he had managed to enclose them in that strange basement. Maybe he hadn't imagined that Glory was going to help them. Maybe he thought he was giving his brother one final present. Flynn shuddered. He still didn't know whether the man was alive, but they'd find out soon.

The three of them met up on the stoop, Deuce holding a tire iron, and Rocky holding her shoes. Flynn looked at the shoes in Rocky's hands and gave her an odd half grin. "You gonna stab him with one of your heels?" he asked.

"If I have to," she responded.

They pushed the door open carefully and walked in. They took slow steps toward the man. Deuce held the tire iron in a position to strike, for they all expected the man to jump up at any second. That's always what happened in scary movies. Flynn knelt down next to the body and placed a finger on the man's throat. There was a steady pulse.

"He's alive."

"What are we supposed to do now?" Rocky asked. "Do we kill him?"

"No!" Flynn said. "Not yet. Let's just push him out of the way for now. We'll figure it out once we get Cece, Gunther and Glory back."

Deuces lips twitched. He wasn't as certain as Flynn that their friends were coming back, but he didn't want to say it.

Deuce and Flynn stood on either side of the man, and dragged him off of the hatch. Flynn pulled the handle and threw the hatch open, expecting that their friends would walk out. But nothing happened - no one emerged from hatch.

"I'm going down there," Flynn said finally, breaking the silence. "I'm going to find them."

Rocky put a hand on his chest. "No. No, you can't. What if you can't get out again? We should just wait."

"No," he said. "I'm going."

"If you want to go, we won't stop you," Deuce said.

"But, you won't come with me either?" Flynn asked.

Deuce held on tight to Rocky's hand. He had no intention of letting her go, no matter what she wanted. "No. We'll stay here and watch our crazy friend. Make sure he doesn't get any ideas."

Flynn nodded. "Okay, I guess if we're not going to kill him, someone needs to watch him. Rocky, what are you going to do?"

Deuce tightened his grasp on Rocky's hand. But it proved an unnecessary gesture. Although Rocky seemed to waver, she eventually stepped away from Flynn. "I'm staying here."

"Okay," Flynn said as he lowered himself down the hatch, back into the land of the dead.

XOXOXOXO

It didn't take long for Glory to find Gunther and Cece's immobile bodies. She took the knife out of her pocket and dutifully cut them free from the vines. She considered screaming at them, but she didn't want to wake anything else that might be asleep in the passageways. Instead, she pinched them each on the arm, but they didn't wake. She sighed and grabbed Cece by the wrists and started dragging her. A part of her wished Flynn was with her. This would be easier if he was helping. The girl's body was stiff and hard to move. Glory groaned, and forced herself to continue the slow effort of dragging the girl.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Reunited**

Instead of landing solidly, Flynn's feet sunk into the ground. He pulled one foot out of the muck, but the other was still stuck. He looked up and he could see the light of the room above, but instead of being within reach, it now looked as if the ceiling was miles away. His eyes closed, and he was sliced with fear and indecision. This was a mistake. He should have stayed with Rocky and Deuce. Why had he acted so rashly? Was it for Glory? Did he want to play at being a hero? Or was he just trying to save his sister?

It seemed unlikely that he would be able to diagnose his motivation anytime soon. There was only one direction now. Forward.

He eyed the door, and started to slog through the muck towards it - one foot and then another. He opened the door and stepped through. Luckily the floor on other side was solid. The door behind him slammed shut and he was swallowed in darkness. He turned back and tried to turn the knob. He had meant to leave the door open. But the knob was stuck.

"What have you done!" a voice hissed in the darkness. "Did you kill my brother?"

That had to be the dwarf. Flynn ran in the opposite direction until he smacked into someone hard in the darkness.

"Ugh," the voice said. "Who is that?"

Flynn stumbled backwards, barely staying on his feet.

"Me," he squeaked.

"Oh Flynn, thank goodness," a body threw itself towards him, embracing him hard. "Glory managed to get me here and wake me up, but she can't move Gunther. You have to go help her."

Flynn smiled as he disengaged himself from his sister. "I can't see anything. Where am I supposed to go?"

"Do you have a phone or something? Glory took mine so she could find her way back to Gunther. She told me to stay here, so that I wouldn't fall asleep again."

Flynn dug through his pockets and pulled out his phone. Flicking it on, he let its light illuminate his sister's face. She was smiling too. She pointed behind her. There was an opening built into the wall. Vines crawled around the opening, barely leaving enough space for a guy of Flynn's size to get through.

"All right," he said, and then grabbed Cece's arm. "Be careful. The dwarf is in here somewhere."

She nodded. "I'll be okay. Just go and get them. Be quick."

He pushed the vines away and used the phone's light to guide him through the narrow passage. It didn't take long before he found Glory struggling with Gunther's limp body.

"Do you need some help?" He asked.

She jumped in surprise. "Flynn, oh it's you. You shouldn't have come. I told you to leave."

"I know. I came anyway."

"Well, you may as well help me."

He pulled Gunther up easily, and slung Gunther's limp arm around his neck. "No problem," he grunted and followed Glory back to where he had left Cece.

"What did you find at the gas station?" she asked.

"Oh yeah, when we got there the owner was gone, but he had left a bloody trail that we followed back tot he cabin."

"Was he at the cabin?"

"Yeah. He was lying unconscious on the hatch. He was the reason we couldn't get back upstairs."

"He's still alive?"

"Yeah," Flynn said. "He's alive."

"Well, we'll have to do something about that."

Flynn suppressed a cringe. He really didn't want to conspire to murder the gas station owner. "Couldn't we call the police or something? We could try to find proof that he killed you. And then he'd go to jail."

She didn't answer him, and Flynn hoped she was considering it.

Flynn dumped Gunther's body onto the ground as soon as they reached Cece, and then knelt down and peered closely at Gunther. "He's definitely breathing," he said.

Cece knelt down next to Flynn. "Thank goodness you guys are back."

Glory slapped Gunther hard across the face.

"Why did you do that?" Flynn asked.

Glory shrugged. "It woke Cece up."

Gunther gasped. "What happened?" he asked.

"You fell asleep," Cece said. "So did I."

Gunther rubbed his eyes, trying to get a handle on the situation. He looked at Glory and then at the cave-like walls. "So this is real, huh?"

"Yes, this is real," Cece said, taking his hand in hers.

He smiled at her, and wiggled his eyebrows. "Good."

"Now, let's get out of here," Cece said, as she pulled Gunther to his feet.

"Um, there was something very strange that happened to the room with the hatch after I came down. I'm not sure that it will be so easy to get out. And the door slammed closed and locked itself behind me when I left the room."

"There's another way into that room," Glory whispered. "We'll have to go through the bad room."

Flynn remembered the white room, with the cages and the saw. It was hard to forget the room where Glory had been tortured. He touched her arm, and she flinched away. He frowned.

Glory straightened her shoulders. "Follow me."

She led them down a set of corridors. Flynn insisted on taking the rear. He had no intention of losing Gunther and Cece this time. Finally they reached a spot where there was a narrow pane of glass in the center of the floor. They could see the white room through the glass. Glory took the knife out of her pocket and pried the glass free.

"I didn't notice the window before," Cece commented.

"Me neither," Gunther agreed.

"It's always been here. You're just not as familiar with this room as I am," she whispered.

Flynn lowered himself down first, as he was clearly the strongest of the four. He caught the others, smoothing their descent as they followed him into the white room. Glory came down last, her lips tight.

They opened the door to the room with the hatch, and saw the sludge on the floor and the great distance that separated them from the hatch.

"It's not real," Glory said. "Just one of the dwarf's tricks. He can mess with your perception."

"Yeah, um, even if it's not real, I still don't see how we're going to get up there," Cece said.

Glory smiled grimly. "The dwarf's not the only one who can change things down here."

The room started to shift in front of them. The floor solidified and the ceiling descended down to a more reasonable height.

"Pretty cool," Gunther said.

Glory shrugged. "You get used to it."

Rocky shrieked from above as soon as she got sight of her friends. "You guys made it. Come up."

Cece, Gunther and Flynn scrambled up to the main room of the cabin. But when Flynn reached down to pull Glory up, she shook her head.

"It doesn't work that way."

"You mean you can't come up here?" Flynn asked.

"Oh I can go up. You just won't like it if I do."

"What do you mean?"

"I won't look like this anymore. I'll look like myself."

"Like yourself?"

"I've been dead for a long time, Flynn."

"Oh," he said, realizing what she meant.

"Is the dwarf's brother still alive?" Glory asked.

"Yeah," Deuce said. He had joined the group as they looked down at Glory. "He hasn't moved at all. What do you want us to do?"

"Can you drag him over here?"

"What will you do to him?" Flynn asked.

"I'm going to pull him down here and kill him," Glory said, not mincing words.

Flynn stared at Glory and then looked at Deuce.

"I don't think we should do this. There has to be another way. There just has to be something else we can do. I don't want us to be murderers."

Deuce nodded slowly. "Flynn's right."

"No," Glory shrieked. She pulled herself into the main room of the cabin, and as she did her skin lost its tight porcelain glow. Her flesh turned green and wept loose from her bones. Her hair fell out and one of her eyes dropped out of the socket. A black fluid oozed out of the empty socket. Once she was in the room, it became apparent that she couldn't quite walk. She moved in a sloshing crawl as she approached the dwarf's brother. Rocky and Deuce stepped out of her way. She placed a hand on the man's ankle and dragged him across the floor until she was back to the hatch. She pushed him and his body plunged into the dark pit, and then she followed him down. They all watched as she dragged him into the bad room.

As Glory and the man, disappeared, Flynn stopped holding his breath. His crush on Glory had evaporated completely as he had watched her transform. He felt frozen. What were they supposed to do?

"We are not going back down there," Deuce said. "We are getting into the Winnebago and driving away. And we are going to try to forget all about this trip."

Cece grasped Flynn's arm. "Deuce is right. We should get out of here."

Flynn nodded slowly. "Yeah. I'm with you. I don't see any reason to stay."

"And let's not call the police or ever tell anyone about this," Gunther said. "There really isn't anything that we could say that anyone would ever believe."

They all nodded. The events of this night would be their shared secret.


	17. Chapter 17

**Epilogue: Around and around we go**

Cece rested her head against Gunther's shoulder, and was comforted by his arm, which rested lazily around her waist.

She looked over to Flynn. His eyes were shut and he looked peaceful as he slept. She hoped the disturbing events at the cabin wouldn't scar him. If only he could just forget. If only they could all forget... Her eyelids fluttered shut.

The Winnebago hit a bump, and Cece jerked out of slumber. Her eyes blinked, and she turned her head up to look into Gunther's eyes. He was smiling. "This was nice. You know I think we should have stayed longer. Such a shame to cut the trip short," he whispered.

"Mmm, yeah. We should go again," she whispered back. "Maybe stay a few days." Her eyes fluttered shut and she was sleeping again.

The Winnebago halted and Cece woke up again. Flynn jumped out of the back first, and then Gunther helped Cece get out. He didn't let go of her hand after she hit the ground.

"I'll call you tomorrow, okay," he said, kissing her cheek.

She nodded. She wanted to get home and crawl into bed.

Rocky jumped out of the front and gave Cece a big hug. "This was so much fun!" she said. "I'll drop by your place later this week. We should make plans to go shopping or something."

"Sounds like a plan," Cece said, squeezing back hard. She was so happy she had Rocky back.

Flynn stowed their suitcases in the trunk of Cece's car, and then walked back to his sister to try to disengage her from her friends. He was so tired. He hoped she wouldn't want to stay too long.

Cece smiled when Flynn stepped next to her, and locked her arm in his arm. "My brother and I better get going. It's pretty late."

"More like early," Deuce said, pointing to the orange smudge on the horizon. "The sun is coming up."

As Cece and Flynn walked off into the distance, and Gunther went to grab his bag. Rocky relaxed against Deuce's shoulder. "Do you want to stay?" he asked her, a note of uncertainty in his voice.

She looked at him carefully, and nodded slowly. "Yeah," she said. "That would be nice. I'm not really in any shape to drive."

As Cece pulled her car out of Deuce's driveway, Flynn played with his fingers. "Does it seem strange to you that we packed for the whole weekend, and we didn't even stay for a whole night?"

Cece was having trouble keeping her eyes open. "Yeah, I guess. Do you mind if I turn the radio on? I'm afraid I'll fall asleep without it."

"Whatever you want," Flynn said, resting his head and shutting his eyes.

XOXOXOXO

Rocky woke up in a strange bed. She turned her head and looked at the back of a naked man who was snoring. She took a deep breath. She must have gone out and had way too much to drink. The last thing she remembered was... Oh god her head hurt. The last thing she remembered was planning to find and reunite with Cece at her dance studio. She must have chickened out and never gone in. She slipped out of the bed, trying to be as silent as possible. She picked up her clothes from the floor and slipped into them, while eyeing the slumbering lump in the bed. She didn't want to wake up whoever it was. If she was lucky she could get out, before he saw her.

XOXOXOXOXO

Rocky stood outside Cece's dance studio, shifting from one foot to the other. She was nervous. If she went inside, she could be putting herself in a terribly awkward position. What if she and Cece had nothing in common? What if Cece didn't want to be friends again? What if? She turned on her heel and walked away. Maybe she would try again another day. Or maybe she wouldn't.

**THE END**

**Author's Note: ** This is it. The end. Thank you for reading. This is a great fandom. If you guys liked the story check out two short books I put on Amazon (Anais of Brightshire and Anais of the Stolen Road). They're free. Also if you have any suggestions for other fandoms that you like let me know. I am always looking to branch out.


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